Seven Wonders of the World - Hanging Garden of Babylon

When Was the Garden of Babylon Built?

Where is the Garden of Babylon Located?

The Garden of Babylon was on the east bank of Euphrates River, about 50 kms south of Baghdad, Iraq.

What is the History of Garden of Babylon?

Ancient stories say King Nebuchadnezzar built the garden for his homesick wife, Amyitis who had come from green, rugged land with mountains. Babylon was flat, dry and far from green. The Hanging Garden probably didn't hang. The description comes from the Greek word "kremastos" or the Latin word "pensilis," which means "overhanging" like on a balcony or terrace. There are no records of the Hanging Garden from the time Nebuchadnezzer ruled, although there were tablets describing the palace, the city of Babylon and the walls. In fact, none of the historians who wrote about this magnificent garden even saw it. The garden might not have existed.

What Did the Garden of Babylon Look Like?

Whether the garden existed or not, this is how it has been described by ancient Greek sources: "The hanging garden has plants cultivated above ground level, and the roots of the trees are embedded in an upper terrace rather than in the earth. The whole mass is supported on stone columns. The grass is permanently green and the leaves of trees grow firmly attached to supple branches." Exotic flowers and plants covered the terraces. Shade came from cypress trees and palms and there was a rich smell of aromatic plants and flowers in the air. Nebuchadnezzar had every kind of tree and plant you can think of.

How Did They Water the Garden of Babylon

They couldn't just turn the sprinkler on back then so how did the plants survive? One of the most amazing parts of the garden is the watering system. Water from the nearby Euphrates River was lifted far into the air so it could flow down the terraces, watering the several levels of trees and flowers. This was probably done with a chain pump. Two large wheels, connected by a chain, turned and the buckets dipped into a pool and picked up water. The chain then lifted the buckets to the upper wheel where the water was tipped into an upper pool. The empty buckets kept turning and ended up back in the bottom pool. There is no evidence to support this theory, and there's no evidence that says the garden even existed. Regardless, the garden sounds impressive. It makes you wonder, did it remind Amyitis of her home land?

((Author's note: Inspired by Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Edits and suggestions are accepted in the comments. If you would like to add on to this and continue writing it yourself, I will create a master post of the finished product and may include suggestions and other people's work, whom I will credit. Thank you.))
After the battle to banish the Empire succeeded,
The pony of shadows now for a thousand years gone,
The feasts of celebration were well underway,
And the Princesses rejoiced that the battle was won.
Star Swirl the Bearded, great wizard of old,
Had remained there as long as he may,
But as soon as he rose, the hall to leave
There came an event that forced him to stay.
A figure stepped in from the midst of a storm:
The doors were flung open with tremendous might
By a stallion of stature like never before seen
His presence alone dimmed the room’s light.
His hooves pounded the floor and forced it to crack
Legs like tree-trunks, and a voice like thunder
His eyes flashed like stars underneath his hood
All present had their composures thrown asunder.
“Greetings!” The unicorn cried to the thrones.
“I have traveled from the Northland’s wastes
To meet the Sisters of much I have heard
And so I have arrived, coming with haste.”
Celestia bowed with grace to this stranger
“We accept you in our halls, you are to be certain
You will be welcome as long as you stay.
But I request you tell of your journey and all it may pertain.
Begin with your name, if you please,” she concluded.
And the unicorn nodded in acceptance.
“Of course. You behold Polaris, a messenger
For my people, and have come to pay penance
To the rulers of our far away neighbors.
I am the chieftain of my tribe in the North,
Masters of snow and flame in our magic.
But now we are in need, and I have come forth
To beg of you your assistance.”
He bowed in his head, in pleading he waited
While averting his eyes to the ground.
Not wanting the Princess to know what was unstated.
Star Swirl arose, proudly he stood,
His horn lit aflame to point to the sky.
“Of course we will help! I’ll accompany you myself!”
He did not pause to ask Polaris why.

Yeah, I really think schools should change their teaching methods. Every year, when I take the standardized tests, I see again and again at least 40% of the test something the teachers never taught. It also doesn't really give you much stuff you actually will need beyond high school, unless you plan on being an ultimate master-of-all-subjects in college and want to try every single job out there at least once. Maybe then.